Social tipping points for climate change mitigation. Seminar

Our HERUS Jour Fixe seminars provide a dedicated platform for our team to exchange insights on research progress, ongoing projects, and other relevant topics. These sessions foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the group, welcoming guest speakers who present their work, sparking discussions and potential synergies for future projects.

In this seminar, Thomas Elliot, researcher at Aalborg University Denmark, presented about a couple of aspects of social tipping points for climate change mitigation. Achieving rapid and lasting climate mitigation requires more than technological solutions—it demands a shift in societal behaviors, policies, and economic structures. This seminar explores positive social tipping points, where small changes trigger self-reinforcing transformations in sustainability practices. We examine the debate on individual vs. institutional action and introduce quantitative methods—from system dynamics and socio-ecological contagion to coupled human-nature systems and the World3 model—to analyze how tipping points may accelerate decarbonization. By identifying key drivers and intervention strategies, this session aims to advance the understanding of how social and economic systems can transition toward sustainability at scale.